"Hahaha! Wonderful!"
The next moment, Uchiha Nobuhiko burst out into loud, hearty laughter.
"My son has the potential of a Hokage! Hahaha!"
Ren, Fugaku, and Uchiha Kokomi all stared at him, speechless.
"Dad, maybe don't say things like that out loud."
"Potential to be Hokage? What does that even have to do with chakra talent?"
"You might as well say I have the potential to become the next Uchiha Madara."
Ren rolled his eyes and couldn't help but retort.
"Huh?"
Before Nobuhiko could respond, Fugaku cut in indignantly:
"Why doesn't it matter? Isn't being Hokage all about having enough strength?"
"As for Uchiha Madara… Come on, little brother. Your talent isn't even close to his."
"And besides, he betrayed the clan. Is that really someone you should be bringing up?"
Ren let out a long sigh and looked at Fugaku with the exasperation of someone talking to a particularly slow child.
"Oh, my foolish Onii-san… What makes you think power alone is enough to become Hokage?"
"Do you understand nothing about politics or the web of interests that govern this village?"
"Sure, if you're powerful enough to flatten all of Konoha by yourself, you might be able to seize the title by force."
"But even then, it'd be filled with hidden dangers. None of the clans would truly accept that kind of Hokage."
"Even Uchiha Madara, for all his strength, didn't have the overwhelming force to suppress Konoha alone. So what makes you think you do?"
The ninja world wasn't just about killing and power—it was a world of relationships, balance, and nuance.
"And another thing. When people say Madara betrayed the village or the Uchiha, that's one thing."
"But for you—an Uchiha—to say that and believe it?"
"Honestly, you must have something wrong with your brain."
Ren shook his head, looking at Fugaku like he was an idiot.
"You—!"
Fugaku's face turned red with fury. He glared at Ren, just about to argue back when—
"That's enough, Fugaku. Be quiet."
Nobuhiko's voice cut through the tension.
Fugaku froze, turning to his father in shock.
"Father…?"
Nobuhiko's face was stern. His voice calm but heavy.
"Ren is right."
"No matter what happened, as members of the Uchiha clan, we should revere Lord Madara."
"Without him, there would be no Uchiha as we know it."
"Yes, he did leave the village—but that was because of a fundamental disagreement with the First Hokage, not a betrayal."
"As for betraying the clan? That's utter nonsense."
"If anything, it was the clan that betrayed him."
"When Konoha was founded, after decades of war, many Uchiha grew content with the peaceful life the village offered. They didn't want to live on the run anymore."
"That's why they didn't follow Lord Madara."
"So no matter how you look at it, you cannot say he betrayed the Uchiha or Konoha. Understood?"
Fugaku stood frozen.
Clearly, this had shaken his worldview to its core.
"Sigh…"
Nobuhiko sighed, his expression softening with regret.
"Somehow, I've failed to teach you properly."
"To think your thinking would be this immature… even less grounded than your younger brother, who's three years your junior."
"That's my failing."
"From now on, I'll set aside an hour every evening to re-educate you in these matters. Understood?"
He didn't want to be too harsh—Fugaku was still young.
But this... this had disappointed him deeply.
He had once seen Fugaku as his heir—the next Uchiha clan head.
But now… maybe Ren was the better fit.
Still, no matter what happened, he had to ensure Fugaku could at least become Ren's right hand in the future.
"Yes."
Fugaku nodded stiffly, still dazed.
After dinner, Nobuhiko wasted no time drafting a clan archive pass and handed it to Ren.
"Any questions from today's study session? Ask away. I'll help if I can!"
He smiled warmly at Ren.
Ten minutes later, he was seriously regretting that offer.
Ren's questions were too advanced.
In just one afternoon, Ren had grasped the theory and application of chakra refinement to a frightening depth.
Nobuhiko couldn't even answer some of them—he ended up fumbling through a few vague replies before slipping out of Ren's room in embarrassed defeat.
He left muttering to himself:
"Never again. Unless it's life or death, I am never answering chakra questions again."
Still, beneath the awkwardness, Nobuhiko was deeply excited.
"With talent like this… maybe, just maybe, Ren really can become someone like Madara one day."
"And if that day comes… maybe the Uchiha will finally have their own Hokage."
Just the thought of it stirred Nobuhiko's heart with pride and anticipation.
Watching his father flee the room, Ren couldn't help but smile slightly.
Then he turned his attention back to chakra training—building more energy pathways and clearing key meridian channels.
He kept refining chakra until 8 PM, when his body and meridians finally reached their limit.
He went to bed.
The next morning.
Ren woke up early, washed up, and went through his basic taijutsu training.
He didn't showcase his knowledge of "internal martial arts" just yet.
It wasn't the right time.
He needed to create a plausible origin story for those techniques.
The clan archive would be a great place to find one.
If he found some obscure reference to taijutsu, he could use that as an excuse to bring out the methods later.
He even planned to teach the techniques to his parents eventually.
As for Fugaku?
"We'll see," Ren thought.
After finishing his morning workout and eating breakfast with his family, he set out for the Uchiha Clan Archive, accompanied by his father.
At the entrance, Nobuhiko exchanged a few words with the elder overseeing the archive.
Shortly after, Ren was officially granted access.
"I've already spoken with Elder Zen," Nobuhiko said.
"From now on, you're free to come here and consult any texts related to chakra refinement and history."
"For now, let's keep your access limited to those topics. Understood?"
"Wait, no—Father!"
Ren immediately objected.
"In addition to chakra refinement, I want access to anything on taijutsu—even basic materials are fine."
"Also… do we have anything on medical ninjutsu or anatomy?"
"And meditation techniques or detailed texts on the Sharingan—those too."
"I don't think I understand the human body well enough yet."
"Learning these things will help me craft a better chakra refinement system, maybe even an original taijutsu method."
"As for meditation and Sharingan data… I want to see if I can develop a proper awakening method for the eye."
Clearly, chakra refinement alone was no longer enough to satisfy him.
"Uh…"
Nobuhiko blinked, stunned.
"You want all that? Can you even handle it?"
"And… an original Sharingan awakening method? Isn't that a little far-fetched?"
"Trust me, Father," Ren replied with a serious look.